Olney On Royals, Red Sox, Dempster

The Royals' rotation has a 5.42 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 this year, and they're averaging barely five innings per start. As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains, the Royals are perusing the market for starting pitchers who could help now and in the future. Here are the details:

The Royals have indicated to other teams that they believe they’re about two years away from being serious contenders. They’re looking for starters who could be obtained now and kept for a couple more seasons.

The Red Sox are also more interested in adding long-term pieces than two-month rentals, Olney writes. While there’s no indication the Red Sox are willing to trade Jon Lester, some wonder whether the left-hander would benefit from a change of scenery.

One GM suggested Ryan Dempster would be better off avoiding trades to American League teams this summer. Dempster, a lifelong National Leaguer, can veto any trade. An agent agreed that Dempster would be better off in a pitcher-friendly environment. "If he gets hit hard, it'll cost him," the agent told Olney. The Dodgers are viewed as the favorites to acquire Dempster, who will hit free agency after the season.

Dodgers seem to make the most sense, but I wouldn’t rule out a surprise trade to the Angels for Peter Bourjos. Theo would then have the option to trade Bourjos in the off-season for some young pitching if he wanted to.

For sure, he had decent value after last year though, this year he really isn’t hitting. I just am not a fan of having rookies sitting on the bench, either send them down to save service time and daily playing, bring them up and play them, or figure out a trade.

He was my 4th OF and go to guy off the bench when i needed stolen bases last year in fantasy. Defiantly agree, rookies need to nurtured into potential stars…kind of like how the Angels waited on Trumbo got textiera, and then allowed his power to maximize in AAA. It went from 15 to 36.

What sense does a trade to the Dodgers really make? Their top prospects (Lee and Eovaldi) have pitched really poorly this season. Lee’s been crap, giving up a lot of homers at high-A and pitching very erratically (4.61 BB/9) at AA, albeit in 4 starts. Eovaldi’s strikeouts (which weren’t elite to being with) have gone out the window. Truthfully, I’m not crazy about anyone that they have to offer.

Interesting. I’m not a fan/follower of either the Cubs or Dodgers. Dempster makes sense for LA… but maybe not on the Cubs end. I’m sure Theo is weighing the various returns right now to see what he feels is the best fit. The Dodgers could surely offer to take on Dempster’s remaining salary to lessen the return, but don’t think that’s what the Cubs want. They want prospects, which is why I suggested the Angels as a possible surprise trade partner.

No they haven’t. Why don’t you provide me a link to any single article ever published where anyone from the Royals set a timeline on being competitive. I won’t hold my breath because they have never done so. If you’re talking about ‘Mission 2012’ – that was started by Mellinger and the Royals NEVER endorsed that. This is the kind of garbage that comes from Royals fans who are simply ignorant of the facts and want to spew.

I think the best the Royals could do (outside of a Greinke reunion) for next season’s rotation would be to trade for Garza and Wandy, then add Marcum as a FA in the off-season. Then they’d have a rotation of Marcum/Garza/Wandy/Hochevar/Chen, which would at least keep them in most games.

We also should be getting Paulino and Duffy back from Tommy John surgery, plus Odorizzi could be up this year. Marcum worries me a bit, I can’t quite place it but I get the feeling he could be in line for a long DL trip sometime. If we got Garza and Wandy, Odorizzi turns into a competent starter, and Duffy and Paulino come back to form, we could be in good shape.

I’m glad that there are agents around that are willing to offer up trade secrets. Who would have guessed that if Ryan Dempster were to go to a hitters park and get hit hard that it would cost him dollars. Next we’ll learn that if Josh Hamilton is traded to the Padres and hits .240 with 5 homers the rest of the way it will cost him in the free agent market.

If Dempster were to go to a team played a hitters park and pitched well it would help him more then him pitching poorly in sad park would hurt him.

“While there’s no indication the Red Sox are willing to trade Jon Lester, some wonder whether the left-hander would benefit from a change of scenery.” Just my opinion but it seems like a lot of players that leave Boston benefit from the change of scenery,

Lowrie had a horrible injury history while he was with the Sox, but he produced when he was on the field. Josh Reddick is a VERY streaky bat who never saw significant playing time in Boston and therefore was never able to get in a rhythm.

The only players who leave Boston that benefit from a change of scenery are USUALLY pitchers who migrate from the AL to the NL (which has been proven to be pretty true league-wide)….and Edgar Renteria.

Eh, Lowrie was always this good, he just never stayed healthy long enough to put a decent month together (and, surprise, he’s out several weeks again now), and Scutaro played way better in Boston than he has in Colorado.

Like who lol? Julio Lugo sucked in Boston and still did after, Manny? Downhill.
It’s the other way around players that come to Boston a lot of times revive there career! Just like a lot of players that go to NY. Mike Lowell? He was a washed up throw in in the Beckett deal and went to World Series MVP. Damon stayed the same after he left, was still good! Jason Bay? Horrible after leaving Boston. Paplebon? He’s basically been the same.
I mean there’s always gonna be some players that just don’t perform well with a new team! Coco crisp didn’t, Pavono for the Yankees as well. It happens

two years away in kc for the past 27 yrs…and chiefs are what?…ohhh this is the year! every year!….kc sports organizations have no respect for some of the best fans in the country….we keep hoping and believing..they keep upping prices and deceiving!

Schierholtz would do damage to that right field porch over at Yankee stadium after watching him hit some monster shots to RF in various stadiums. He also has a plus-plus arm and his D isn’t too shabby. My question for Yankees fan what sort of relievers are in the farm system? Obviously not an A prospect.

Does one of Webster, Reed or Gould from LAD make sense for Dempster? Too much? Too little? The Cubs want young arms that are 1-3 years away and the Dodgers seem to have 3-4 guys who project as potential #2-#4 starters. Seems to make sense.

I wonder if the Phillies would bite on Lester for Hamels seeing as Lester is signed on the cheap for the next few years. I know Lester is perhaps a notch below Hamels but the fact that Lester is cost controlled for a couple more years makes a straight up trade seem fathomable.

I doubt the Red Sox would do that. Lester hasn’t been himself since September of last year (less than a year), but when he’s on he’s at least as good as Hamels and is way way cheaper than Hamels. If Hamels weren’t going to be looking for a Sabathia type deal next year, and the Phillies added a good prospect or two maybe, maybe, but definitely not one for one.

Lester is actually pitching as well as, or better than, he pitched in 2008 (his FIP is only 4 points higher, and his xFIP and SIERA are both 40 points lower), the problem is his BABIP is 30 points higher than his career average, his LOB% is 10% lower, and his HR/FB is 2% higher.

The Royals are some starting pitching away from contending right now. There’s no reason had a few pitchers stayed healthy and they’d have gone out last winter for a little help that they wouldn’t look very similar to the Pirates right now.